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The liberation of Romania would be a joy-ride. Her maize fields suited
our tanks admirably. Czechoslovakia was another matter. Forests and mountain
passes are not good terrain for tanks.
The Romanian army had always been the weakest in Eastern Europe and had
the oldest equipment. But in Czechoslovakia things would be more
complicated. In 1968 her army was the strongest in Eastern Europe. Romania
had not even a theoretical hope of help from the West, for it had no common
frontier with the countries of NATO. But in Czechoslovakia, in addition to
Czech tank divisions, we risked meeting American, West German, British,
Belgian, Dutch and possibly French divisions. A world war might break out in
Czechoslovakia but there was no such risk in Romania.
So, although preparations were being made for the liberation of
Romania, we clearly would not go into Czechoslovakia. The risk was too
great....

Elementary logic suggested that it was essential to liberate Romania and to do so immediately. The reasons for acting with lightning speed were entirely convincing. Ceaucescu had denounced our valiant performance in Czechoslovakia as aggression. Then Romania announced that henceforth no exercises by Warsaw Pact countries might be held on her territory. Next she declared that she was a neutral country and that in the event of a war in Europe she would decide for herself whether to enter the war or not and if so on which side. After this she vetoed a proposal for the construction of a railway line which was to have crossed her territory in order to link the Soviet Union and Bulgaria. Each year, too, Romania would reject suggestions by the Soviet Union that she should increase her involvement in the activities of the Warsaw Treaty Organisation.Then there was a truly scandalous occurrence.
Soviet military intelligence reported that Israel was in great need of spare parts for Soviet-built tanks, which had been captured in Sinai, and that Romania was secretly supplying these spare parts. Hearing of this, the commander of our regiment, without waiting for instructions, ordered that a start should be
made with bringing equipment out of mothballing. He assumed that the last hour had struck for the stubborn Romanians. It turned out to be his last hour that had come. He was rapidly relieved of his command, the equipment was put back in storage and the regiment fell back into a deep sleep.
Things became even worse. The Romanians bought some military helicopters from France. These were of great interest to Soviet military intelligence, but our Romanian allies would not allow our experts to examine them, even from a distance.

We had got used to the idea that Romania was allowed to do anything that she liked,
that she could take any liberties she pleased. The Romanians could exchange
embraces with our arch-enemies the Chinese, they could hold their own
opinions and they could make open criticisms of our own beloved leadership.
We began to wonder why the slightest piece of disobedience or evidence
of free thinking was crushed with tanks in East Germany, in Czechoslovakia,
in Hungary or inside the Soviet Union itself, but not in Romania. Why was
the Soviet Union ready to risk annihilation in a nuclear holocaust in order
to save far-off Cuba but not prepared to try to keep Romania under control?
Why, although they had given assurances of their loyalty to the Warsaw
Treaty, were the Czech leaders immediately dismissed, while the rulers of
Romania were allowed to shed their yoke without complications of any sort?
What made Romania an exception? Why was she forgiven for everything?